Naa diay mga bag-ong isla sa atong nasud?
The national mapping agency shared that the Philippines has over 500 new islands, making the total number of islands in the archipelago to over 7, 600 from the outdated 7,107 islands.
The Philippine Geomatics Symposium and the National Mapping and Resource Information confirmed that there are 500 new islands in the Philippines through a Facebook post.
Using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR) technology that NAMRIA obtained in 2013, the government agency found land features that may be considered islands.
Within three to five months of using IFSAR topographic maps and other data sources, Namria found that the original count of 7,107 islands were no longer accurate.
It took Namria more than two years to validate because some land features may just be rocks, islets, reefs, mangroves or sandbars.
Namria administrator Peter Tiangco said that the agency was exercising caution due to the implications of the new discovery.
The Dynamic Nature of Island Formation
An interesting aspect of the Philippines ever-changing landscape is the formation of new natural islands. Volcanic activity, tectonic movements, and sediment deposition are primary forces behind the creation of new landmasses. The Philippines is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it prone to volcanic eruptions and seismic activities that can lead to the birth of new islands.
